Water-level alarm.



H. L. WIIT & S. LOOKMAN.

WATER LEVEL ALARM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 4, H5.

Patented Mari 20,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

, E 9 a m J ,1] s 2 15::

H. L. WlTT & S. LOOKMAN.

WATER LEVEL ALARM.

APPLICATION FiLED FEB- 4. 1915. 1

1,220,041 Patented Mar. 20, 1917 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

A HARRY L. WITT AND SAMUEL LOOKMAN, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

WATERFLEVEL ALARM.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, HARRY L. Wrr'r and SAMUEL LooKMAN, citizens of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Water-Level Alarms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved alarm especially designed for use in connection with ice boxes or refrigerators although the invention may be employed in various other adaptations, and has as its primary object to provide an alarm adapted to automatically sound when the water within the drip pan of the ice box or refrigerator reaches a predetermined level, to thus reduce to a minimum the possibility, through forgetfulness, of allowing the drip pan to overflow.

A further object of theinvention and one of equal importance with the foregoing, is to provide an alarm which may be readily used in connection with any conventional type of refrigerator without the necessity of structural change therein and wherein the entire device will be detachably connected with the refrigerator so that it may be readily removed when desired.

A further object of the invention is to provide an alarm employing an electrically controlled signal, and wherein the closing of the circuit including the alarm, will be automatically controlled through the medium of a float.

The invention has as a further object, in this connection, to provide a construction wherein yieldable means will be employed to coact with the float for automatically closing the circuit to sound the alarm.

A further and more specific object of the invention is to provide an alarm including a detachably mounted casing having a battery removably fitted therein and included in the circuit with the alarm, and wherein the battery will be yieldably held in engagement with the adjacent terminals of the electrical connection between the battery and Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Mar, 20, 1917, Application filed February 4, 1915. Serial No.6,095.

the casing employed and the electrical con-- nection between the alarm and the battery.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2 and particularly showing the mounting of the float, and

Figure 4 is a diagrammatical view showing the electrical connection between the battery and the alarm.

In the preferred embodiment of our invention as illustrated in the drawings, we employ a preferably rectangular casing designated as a whole in Fig. 1 by the numeral 10. This casing may be formed of any suitable material and includes a top wall 11, side walls 12, end walls 13 and 14, and a bottom wall 15 which is preferably detach; ably connected to the body of the casing by screws or other suitable fastening devices, as best shown in Fi 3 of the drawings, and provides a closure or the casing.

Secured to the outer face of the bottom wall 11 medially thereof is a clip or sleeve 16 which may be formed from'a strip of metal connected at its extremities in any suitable manner to the wall 11 with the intermediate portion of the strip bent laterally away from the said wall to removably, receive the free extremity of a bracket arm 17 connected at one end to the bottom wallof the drawings, the refrigerator being con-- ventionally shown and designated by the numeral 18. By this construction, the entire device may be readily mounted in position or removed when desired.

Arranged within the casing and secured in any suitable manner, to the bottom wall 11 thereof, is a conventional type of alarm 19, preferably in the nature ofan electric bell or buzzer and mounted in the end wall 13 adjacent the alarm 19, are spaced terminals 20 and 21.

,The terminal 20 isfas will be best seen.

upon reference to Fig. 2 of the drawin in the nature of a bolt fitted withina suit- I able bore formed in the wall 13 and is provided with a terminal head 22 which is preferably-(notched to receive a screw-driver. Pivotally mounted upon the shank of the terminal 20 to seat against the head 22 thereof, is a resilient contact member 23 adapted to normally engage the terminal 21 and which provides a manually operable circuit breaker betweemthe said terminals arranged exteriorly of the casing, as shown in'Fig. 1

of the drawings, where it will be readily accessible. The contact member 23 may be formed from a strip of suitable metal and is preferably bowed intermediate'its ends, laterally away from the wall 13 so that it may be readily engaged by the fingers. Interposed between the said member and the wall 13 is a washer 24, so that the contact member may be easily rotated upon the said terminal to move its free extremity either into or out of engagement with the terminal 21. The terminal 21 is somewhat similar to the terminal 20, being also in the nature of a bolt provided with a terminal fiat head seating against the outer face of the casing and normally engaged by the free extremity of the contact member 23.

The end wall 13, upon its inner face and adjacent one end thereof is provided with spaced annular recessesor sockets 25 and 26 respectively adapted to removably receive the terminals of a conventional type of battery 27 as best shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The battery 27 is arranged to seat flatly against the bottom wall 11 of the casing to extend substantially parallel to the adjacent side wall 12 and a block 28 is preferably employed and secured to the inner face of the adjacent wall 12 for holding the battery in spaced relation thereto.

Detachably engaging the base end of the battery 27 is a resilient clip or finger 29. The clip 29 is preferably formed from a single piece of suitable resilient metal bent laterally adjacent one extremity thereof'to provide a terminal 30 seating flatly against the bottom Wall 11 and secured thereto by screws or other suitable fastening devices. The free end of the clip 29 is arranged to resiliently engage the adjacent end of the battery 27 to extend vertically thereof, being provided at its free extremity, with a terminal lip 31 engaged over the upper side of the battery. 7

It will be noted that the clip 29 isarranged medially of the adjacent end of the battery and is adapted to normally urge the battery transversely of the casing with its terminals seated within the recesses 25 and N 26. However, by deflecting the free end of the clip laterally away from the adjacent end of the battery, the battery may be readily removed, when desired, it being observed that the terminal lip 31 of the clip is adapted to m .intain the adjacent extremity of the battery seated against the bottom wall 11.

Arranged within the casing and securedin any suitable manner, to the bottom wall 11 thereof, is a circuit breaker 32, which preferably includes a base 33 of some suitable non-conducting material from which extend laterally in spaced relation, terminals 34 and 35. Connectedrat one end of the terminal 35 is a spring contact member 36 which is disposed with its free end confronting the terminal 34 and arranged in spaced relation thereto.

A wire 37 leads from one terminal of the alarm 19 to the terminal 20, the inner extremity of which is screw threaded to receive suitable binding nuts for connecting the wire to the said terminal. Connected to the inner extremity of the terminal 21 by suitable binding nuts, is a wire 38 which is provided with a looped terminal 39 disposed -within the recess 25 and normally engaged by the adjacent terminal of the bat-:

tery 27. A wire 40 which is provided with a looped terminal 41 disposed within the recess 26 and normally engaged by the other terminal of the battery 27 leads to the terminal 34 of the circuit breaker 32 and a wire 42 leads from the other terminal 35 of the circuit breaker and is connected to oneterminal of the alarm 19.

It will thus be seen that in the normal position of the contact member 33 as shown in Fig. 2 ofthe drawings to close the circuit between the terminals 20 and 21, current will flow from the battery 27, upon the movement of the contact 36 to engage the terminal 34 through the wire 40 to the terminal 34, thence through the circuit breaker to the wire 42, thence through the alarm 19, thence through the wire 37 to the terminal 20, thence through the contact 23 ,to the terminal 21, and thence through the wire 38 to the battery. Consequently, the alarm will sound when the contact 36 is moved to engage the terminal 34.

Before proceeding to a description of the means employed for so moving the'contact 36, it is desired to direct attention to the peculiar mounting of the battery 27 as regards the manner in which it is operatively included within thecircuit just previously described The adjacent extremities of the wires 38 and 40 are preferably rolled upon themselves to provide the looped terminals 39' and 41, which are seated within the annular recesses 26 and 25 respectively to rest against the bottom walls thereof. As is well known, the conventional type of battery at its terminals is provided with circular binding nuts and these binding nuts of the battery 27, are adapted to engage within the said recesses 25 and 26 to abut the terminals 39 and 41, attention being directed to the fact, in this connection, that the clip 29 will with the. said terminals.

The purpose of providing the yieldable clip 29 will therefore be clearly apparent, and it will be noted that owing to the presence of the said clip, eflicient electrical connection between the battery 27 and the terminals 39 and 41 will be had at all times, While, the battery may be readily removed from the casing without molesting the said terminals.

Mounted in a suitable bore formed in the wall 15 is a tubular sleeve or casing 43 which is arranged to project at its inner end laterally into the casing and adjacent its outer end is provided with a laterally projecting stop flange 44 arranged to seat against the wall 15, the flange 44 being secured to the said wall in any suitable manner for connecting the sleeve therewith.

The sleeve 43 is open at its inner end and slidably mounted in the said sleeve is a plun ger 45. The plunger 45 includes a preferably cylindrical head 46 closed at one end, the said head being mounted to slide freely vertically within the sleeve 43 and having a stem 47 terminally secured to the closed end thereof and projecting freely through the outer closed end of the sleeve 43. I

As best shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the plunger 45 is arranged in substantial alinement with the free end of the contact member 36 and is adapted to engage the said contact member for moving it to engagethe terminal 34. Mounted within the sleeve 43 and surrounding the stem 47 of the plunger to bear between the head 46 thereof and the.

closed end of the sleeve 43, is a preferably helical spring 48, the said spring normally urging the plunger into engagement with the contact member 36 and having a tension sufficient to cause the plunger to move the said contact member to engage the terminal 34.

Freely connected to the outer extremity of the stem 47 of the plunger by a chain 49 or other suitable flexible element, is a preferably spherical float 50. The float 50 may be formed of any desired material and constitutes a weight normally gravitating to depress the plunger 45 within the sleeve 43 against the tension of the spring 48 to hold the said plunger away from the contact member 36 so that when the float 50 is normally suspended from the stem of the plunger, the contact member 36 will be out of engagement with the terminal 34 and the electrical circuit previously described will be broken at this point.

As best shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the-float 50 is arranged to depend within the drip pan 51 of the refrigerator, the drip pan being conventionally shown, and will be normally disposed in a horizontal plane passing through the side walls of the drip what we claim and desire to secure by pan. adjacent the upper edges thereof. It i' will now be seen that when water within the drip pan rises to the level of the float, the I float will be lifted to free the spring 48 when the tension of the said spring will move the plunger to engage the contact member 36' and cause the said plunger to in turn move the said contact member into engagement with the terminal 34 to complete the circuit between the battery 27 and the alarm 19. Consequently, the alarm will continuously sound until the drip pan is em tied I oruntil the contact 23 is moved out 0 engagement with the terminal 21 and the attention of the person usingthe device will thus be directed to the fact that the drip pan is full. It will further'be noted that the alarmwill sound'at a time before the pan 51 is entirely full and thus, the ossibility of the overflowing of the pan wil be reduced to a minimum.

' Having thus described our invention, what ters Patent is:

1. A device of the character described including a casing provided with sockets, circuit wires arranged within the casing and having rebent portions providing terminals mounted in said sockets, a source of electrical energy arranged within the casing and having its terminals seating in said sockets to abut said first mentioned termina s, and a clip connecting the source of electrical energy with the'casing and normally acting to urge the said last mentioned terminals 1nto engagement with said first mentioned terminals.

2. A device of the character described including a casing having an end wall thereof provided with recesses, circuit wires arranged within the casing and coiled within saidrecesses to provide terminals, abattery Let and provided at one end with terminals, and

a'spring connected to said bottom wall of the casing and engaging the opposite end of the battery for urging the terminals thereof into said recesses to engage with said first mentioned terminals with the walls of said.

recesses adapted to engage the battery terminals for holding the adjacent end of the battery against displacement.

3. A device of the character described including a casing having side end and bottom walls with one of the end walls provided upon the inner side thereof with spaced sockets adjacent to one of the side walls, circuit wires arranged within the casing and having adjacent rebent extremities. providing terminals disposed within said recesses, a battery lying upon the bottom wall of the casing and provided with energized terminals extending within said recesses to cooperate-with the said first mentioned terminals, a filler blockinterposed between the j I battery and the said side wall of the casing, and a resilient cli connected at one end to the bottom wall 0? the casing with the said clip engaging the end of the battery opposite 5 to the said terminals for urging the battery to a position with the terminals thereof engaging the terminals of said wires and provided at its opposite extremity with ater' mural lip engaging over the upper side of the battery forholdingthebattery against 10 the said bottom wall. In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures in presence of two witnesses,

HARRY L. WITT. [Ls] SAMUEL LOOKMAN. [1 5.] Witnesses:

E. B. MARTIN, H. L. A AND. 

